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iPhone Air iPhone Air First Impressions Mega-Thread [MERGED]

Geert76 said:
goodafternoon from The Netherlands... ;)

really happy with my Air, (Sky Blue) always had the Pro models (13,14,15,16) but this is the first time in years Apple surprised me with a new iPhone.
The color is almost white, with a dash of blue, depending on the (angle of) light
Feather light and a very nice grip (much better compared to my 16 Pro) which is very important to me.
I am using my Air without a case.
Coming from 6,3 inch Pro models before it's not a truly one handed device anymore for me.


A real craftmanship by Apple.

Mono speaker is still pretty good, I think the sound is still rich even with one speaker. Tested with FaceTime, some Youtube videos and Netflix.



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That looks gorgeous! I was so torn between this one and the base 17. The Sky Blue is hardly noticeable, but I still look the design of it. So pretty!
 
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Loving my new Space Black Air. I just added the bumper and it still feels incredibly thin at the back.
IMG_4622.jpeg
 
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My initial impressions echo yours. Blown away by the feel of this device, thinner and lighter feeling than I was expecting. The polished titanium retains that premium feel and look that I had with my 14PM, and was a key driver of my choosing the Air. If the Air didn’t have ProMotion, though, I would have got a Pro as that’s the one feature I would not give up.

Performance has been excellent for me, and I feel iOS 26 runs like an absolute dream on the Air. Better than on my 14PM and I thought iOS 26 ran amazing on that. I don’t do anything that stresses the phone, so my usage isn’t going to be pushing the A19 Pro very hard. The Air did get a bit toasty during the first 10 minutes of the initial setup, noticeably just below the camera plateau, but since then it’s been cool and calm.

The camera is perfectly fine. I’ve taken a few casual shots in both standard and portrait and they’re fine for my needs. I use a Nikon Z6II with various lenses for more serious photography, so the single camera was least of my concerns. I haven’t tested video yet. Below is a very casual shot taken from the sofa post-setup - not a particularly compelling photo as an example but the rest of the test photos were of my wife without makeup and I value my life so I won’t use one of those.

IMG_7646.jpeg

I have had Pro Max devices since the XS Max, which I consider the first “pro max” iPhone. They’ve slowly become bigger and bulkier, but have always had the premium design and materials. The shift back to aluminium this year really put me off, and I don’t mind admitting that design and materials matter as part of my decision matrix. With the Air, Apple has excited me again with design, with something that feels fresh and different, is clearly premium in its materials and design, and which balances its compromises in a way that works for me.
 
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aperfectcircle said:
I’ve watched a few reviews and music videos on YouTube in landscape today and it’s absolutely fine. Sure, it’s not as rich sounding as the dual speakers on my 14PM, but it’s more than sufficient for casual content consumption. If I was wanting to watch a 2 hour blockbuster movie, I’d probably be putting on the AirPods though.
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Thanks. I'm really interested if that other commenter was basing the comment on personal experience or just trolling. My guess is the latter.
 
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turbineseaplane said:
Does the bumper protect the camera if you drop it and it lands on the back?

(the OG bumper cases did protect the camera since they didn't protrude back then)
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[Amazon] Item dimensions L x W x H | ‎3.63 x 0.53 x 7.49 inches

Seems the case is 0.53mm thin and a reported 11.32mm at the widest for the camera bump, so i think not. Will let @dca100 confirm though.
 
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It's just initial but I had to give my 4 cents.

1. The most striking thing about the phone is the weight and I feel thats not talked about enough. It is feather light in the hand and you don't really feel much when holding it. I like the blue color I got as its subtle
IMG_2867.jpeg


2. The speakers are just fine and not an issue at all. If you need stereo speaks 4 inches from each other that are the size of a corn kernel then cool.

3. The screen looks better than my 16 pro max when side by side which is a plus but no idea why.

4. It's thin but still feels good in the hand and not slippery.

5. The shape and design makes me feel like it needs a MagSafe wallet or nice leather case

6. The camera even though it's a single lens is really good. I noticed that I only really used the one lens and the different modes so I am fine.

7. last is that it feels like an iPhone of old and not a phone trying to keep up with bigger is better and I like that. In the pocket it gets lost also. Like you have to check to see which one you put it in.
 
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Legitimate phone congrats! It is light version of plus model and also very minimalist with 1 camera which i like (pro cameras are annoying because of lidar through the windows).

I personally use lidar a lot to measure distance (suv ground clearance or items to fit in the trunk and height of people too). Though it disturbs camera use as it focuses on wrong things a lot and simple camera setup in other iphones work better.

also owning a regular pro i am tired of 3000ish batteries that degrade fast in a year.
 
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ctjack said:
Legitimate phone congrats! It is light version of plus model and also very minimalist with 1 camera which i like (pro cameras are annoying because of lidar through the windows).

I personally use lidar a lot to measure distance (suv ground clearance or items to fit in the trunk and height of people too). Though it disturbs camera use as it focuses on wrong things a lot and simple camera setup in other iphones work better.

also owning a regular pro i am tired of 3000ish batteries that degrade fast in a year.
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They do degrade fast. I like the idea of the lidar but I myself dont use it much. The form factor of this phone is just spot on for me
 
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The iPhone air is the future of phones. It is the best looking and most premium of all the iPhones. The fact that it has pretty much the same battery life as the 16 and 17 with the pro chip is just icing on the cake. Funnily enough, if you add the extra apple battery it then almost lasts longer then twice the pro, so you effects have two phones in one
 
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colonelbutt said:
The iPhone air is the future of phones. It is the best looking and most premium of all the iPhones. The fact that it has pretty much the same battery life as the 16 and 17 with the pro chip is just icing on the cake. Funnily enough, if you add the extra apple battery it then almost lasts longer then twice the pro, so you effects have two phones in one
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The camera situation is a pretty serious downgrade if one is coming from a Pro phone.

I'm not sure this is the future of all phones.
 
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